Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
“Young people are powerful agents of societal and economic progress, but today, a few of them are able to reach their full potential due to reproductive health issues.”
These are words that always ring a bell in the mind of Beitbridge-based humanitarian worker and author, Enock Kwinika who has just published a novel, The Fickle Heart.
The storyline centres on the disappointment and embarrassment that comes with unwanted and unplanned pregnancies in social life.
“Coming from the development sector, I think one needs to advocate for change for adolescents so that they avoid pitfalls of teen marriages, pregnancies, and abortions,” said Kwinika.
“The book started off as a short play in 2008 to show that the heart can be as fickle as the weather. The words I love you sound sweet to the ear, tickle the heart and bring a whoop of excitement. But if the pregnancy comes unexpectedly, the human mind can change,” Kwinika said.
He said after reading a lot about the marketing of books, he realised that a novel was better than a short play resulting in him turning the play into a book that was published in June this year. It took him six months to convert the short play into a fully-fledged novel. Interestingly, he penned the novel on an exercise book as he did not have a computer.
“As I read a lot around writing books, I realised that everyone has a story to tell about what they see, hear or experience every day. At any given time if you open your eyes and listen carefully, you’ll realise that there’s something that brings pain and disappointment to people,” he added.
The author said he was inspired to write the book after witnessing an increase in bright students dropping out of school due to teen pregnancies and also noting that some university (level) students were disappointing their parents by falling pregnant before completing their courses.
Kwinika said as a humanitarian, this gave him a good storyline as he saw an opportunity to raise awareness on the problem and try to create a positive change. To make the story depict a real social issue in Beitbridge, he connected the problem with limited employment opportunities that drive people to go to South Africa to address their social and economic problems.
So far, the book has been uploaded on Amazon and is yet to be put on Takealot which is the South Africa’s version of Amazon.
“The feedback from readers is encouraging. Some are now pushing me to write another interesting story,” he said.
“I’ll also consider sharing the book on other online book stores as digital marketing is the way to go to reach your target market these days. Currently, I’m using different social media platforms to market the book.”
He said the traditional way of publishing and marketing books is likely to change greatly in the next five years due to advances in technology.
Kwinika’s writing career started with poetry as a pupil at Nuli High School where he was part of the School Writing Club. He managed to publish some poems mainly in the Chronicle newspaper.
Now, he has set his eyes on publishing a second book before the end of next year. At the moment, he is focusing on a dissertation for a Master of Social Science in Development Studies, which is his second Masters’ degree.
His family, he said, encouraged him to be a published author since books are his best friends. If not at work, he will either be writing or reading.
As a parting shot, Kwinika encouraged budding writers to practice writing as much as possible in order to perfect their skills.
“Fellow budding writers are encouraged to note that there’s no alternative for hard work. If you want to be a professional writer, practice writing as often as possible and develop your own style of writing,” said Kwinika.
“Write what the public wants after studying the market and identify your potential readers and what they are looking for. You don’t need a degree or computer to start writing a book, but just a good story and writing skills so as to tell the world your story in an interesting and absorbing way.” — @tupeyo.
Online Reporter